High School State Swimming Championships: CIF North Coast Section

CONCORD, California, May 18. IT took thousands of swims since Patrick Fowler got into the pool on Feb. 20, 1998 to set the national high school record in the 100 yard breast at 53.66. Brendan Hansen came oh-so-close with his swim of 53.67 in 2000. No male high school swimmer had been able to beat those time.

Until today.

Steven Stumph, a senior at Campolindo, cruised to a 53.39 at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) North Coast Sectional Championships. That erased Hansen's time from the record book–though Fowler's national independent record will still stand. Stumph actually tied Hansen's mark during prelims of the meet held May 17-18 at the Concord Community Pool. And–for good measure–two others managed the same feat: Miramonte senior Charlie Wiser (53.57) and Granada junior Nick Silverthorn (53.61)

That wasn't the only national record to fall. Carondelet's 400 free relay of senior Chelsea Chenault, junior Natalie Amberg, freshman Madelyn Murphy and senior Madison White combined for a national record-setting 3:20.42 in the 400 free relay! That topped JSerra's national record-setting effort of 3:21.20 set just last week. Hershey High School in Pennsylvania can still claim the national public school mark with their 3:22.85 from 2011.

Girls
Carondelet, which last won the girls title in 2010, finished first with 267 points. Last year's champion, San Ramon Valley, placed second with 218 points. Amador Valley retained its third-place position with 189 points, followed by Campolindo (145) and Foothill (129).

Besides Carondelet's national record-setting 400 free relay (which also lowered the CIF mark of 3:25.99 the team set last year), the team received first-place points from Chenault and White.

Chenault, who is headed for USC this fall, set a division mark 1:44.45 in winning the 200 free for the second straight year, bettering Catherine Breed's 2011 mark of 1:44.61. She also defended her title in the 500 free (4:39.11). White, who will be swimming for UCLA next year, captured the 100 back for the third straight year with her 53.91. She placed second as a freshman in 2010.

Amador Valley sophomore Iris Brand completed a double in the sprint freestyle events for the second year in a row. She posted times of 22.96 in the 50 free and 49.85 in the 100 free. Also repeating as event champions were San Ramon Valley junior Heidi Poppe (100 breast, 1:01.18) and Foothill senior Celina Li, who will be attending Cal in the fall (200 IM, 1:59.94).

Ariana Saghafi, an Albany sophomore, completed the 100 fly in a winning 53.46. San Marin senior Haley Blount set a division mark with her 513.50 points in the diving competition, taking down Christina Chen's 1993 total of 471.20.

Boys
Stumph had quite a meet. Besides setting a national record in the 100 breast, the USC-bound swimmer set a CIF standard in the 100 fly of 47.88, erasing Max Horrell's 2009 mark of 48.38.

He also aided in two division record-setting relays with his Campolindo teamamtes. Seniors Sven Campbell, Stumph and J.D. Ratchford joined junior Grand Sivesind for a 1:30.52 in the 200 medley relay, taking down the Cougars' previous mark of 1:32.99 from last year. And their 3:03.97 time from 2011 fell as well to the same quartet, who combined for a 3:01.70.

Stumph's individual and relay efforts, along with a 50 free victory by Campbell (20.45)–who will be attending Cal next year–went a long way towards Campolindo's ninth straight team victory. The Cougars scored 256 points, ahead of Granada's second-place 229. Miramonte found itself in third with 167–a single point in front of fourth-place San Ramon Valley and Amador Valley, which tied at 166.

Las Lomas senior Jackson Miller set CIF division marks in both the 200 and 500 free (1:35.86 and 4:23.85). Miller won the 200 free last year with a division record 1:36.85 and bettered John Dorr's 2001 mark in the 500 free of 4:25.98. Miller also swam the anchor leg of Las Lomas' triumphant 200 free relay with sophomore Matt Horner, senior Thomas Donovan and junior Garrett Middleton (1:23.64). Miller has committed to Indiana in the fall.

Also setting an individual division record was Jason Chen, a senior at Amador Valley who will be attending Michigan this fall. His 47.99 in the 100 back knocked out Sven Campbell's 2012 standard of 48.16.

Ryan Barsanti, a Heritage senior who is bound for Wisconsin next year, captured the 100 free in 45.07. Charlie Wiser, a junior at Miramonte, improved on his third-place finish last year with his winning 1:49.62 in the 200 IM.